Acronicta hasta
Encyclopedia
The Forked Dagger Moth, Speared Dagger Moth, Cherry Dagger Moth or Dart Dagger Moth (Acronicta hasta) is a moth
of the Noctuidae
family. It is found in the eastern deciduous woodlands, ranging west across southern Saskatchewan
and Alberta
into central southern British Columbia
, south to Tennessee
, Wisconsin
and Kansas
.
Acronicta furcifera was considered a separate species until 1998, but is now considered a synonym.
The wingspan
is 35–45 mm. Adults are on wing from April to September depending on the location. There are two or more generations per year in the south and one or two in the north.
The larvae feed on cherry, oak and plum.
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
of the Noctuidae
Noctuidae
The Noctuidae or owlet moths are a family of robustly-built moths that includes more than 35,000 known species out of possibly 100,000 total, in more than 4,200 genera. They constitute the largest family in the Lepidoptera....
family. It is found in the eastern deciduous woodlands, ranging west across southern Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
and Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
into central southern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, south to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
and Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
.
Acronicta furcifera was considered a separate species until 1998, but is now considered a synonym.
The wingspan
Wingspan
The wingspan of an airplane or a bird, is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777 has a wingspan of about ; and a Wandering Albatross caught in 1965 had a wingspan of , the official record for a living bird.The term wingspan, more technically extent, is...
is 35–45 mm. Adults are on wing from April to September depending on the location. There are two or more generations per year in the south and one or two in the north.
The larvae feed on cherry, oak and plum.
Subspecies
- Acronicta hasta hasta
- Acronicta hasta telum
- Acronicta hasta manitoba (Western Canada)